1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to sports ball retrieval apparatus and in particular to a sports ball retriever and dispenser ergonomically structured with a sloping ball pickup tube for picking up balls while walking in an upright position and an elevated ball container for storage and easy-access dispensing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In tennis, golf, baseball, ping pong, and many other sports, players use a number of balls for practicing hitting or throwing. Retrieving the balls for repeated reuse in practicing and containing the balls for easy access are important to make practicing easier and more enjoyable so that the player doesn't waste time and become distracted with the logistics of ball retrieval and reuse. Securing the balls for transporting and storage is also an important consideration in making practice easier and preventing the loss of balls.
Prior art devices for sports ball retrieval have vertical ball intake means necessitating standing over the ball and pushing straight down on the ball to retrieve it with the hand of the player in an awkward position which could tire the player's arm and lead to injury. In order to see the ball underneath the prior art devices, the player has to bend down.
The wire cage type ball retrievers have a flat bottom with spaced parallel wires across the bottom, through which the balls are passed for retrieval. The wires tend to become bent out of shape and fail to work properly with repeated usage.
Open basket prior art ball retrievers present a spilling problem in transporting them. These devices have two very long handles of relatively thin wire which can pinch the hand of the player between the handles. These devices require swiveling both handles down under the wire storage basket to elevate the basket and position the two handles under the basket to support the basket for dispensing balls to the player. Unless two people perform the operation, the player is likely to spill out some of the balls in performing the maneuver.
Prior art ball retrievers having two long handles and an open-topped basket are very difficult to carry because the arm must be held up high to accommodate the length of the handles, and very difficult to store, especially in a vehicle trunk or closet because the handles protrude too far on both sides to fit in a trunk or standard closet. Manipulating the basket and fitting it into a small storage space without spilling the balls is very challenging.
Prior art ball retrievers with flexible tabs at the point of admitting the balls present a problem in that the tabs break very easily.